Security system improvements for safer country club hills schools country club hills school district is located in the southwest portion of cook county illinois south of chicago

Interstate-80 crosses our northern boundary and interstate-57 is along the western boundary within a portion of a historically disadvantaged community. Our student demographic is 85.5% black, 7.1% latino, 2 or more races 5.3%, and 1.5% white. Local property taxes do not allow US to provide adequate and equitable funding. We are funded by the state at 56% of adequate funding, one of the lowest in the state. The prevention of school violence and protecting our kids is a top priority. Staff reported safety concerns related to communication during crisis events. The county level directors reviewed the concerns and identified immediate areas of improvement. Monthly walk-throughs revealed needed security enhancements. We identified that our video surveillance system is only covering and operating at about 45% of what is needed. We have no panic buttons. The public address mass communication systems only work sometimes, and need constant repairs. We estimate the coverage to only be 40%. The proposed solution provides technology and equipment for staff to respond faster, and reduces police response times. The equipment, which falls within the cops statute, is a district-wide emergency broadband and mass communications system. IT includes intercom, paging, and emergency messaging. Other equipment includes electronic access control, community center access control, integrated panic buttons, shatterproof film, and corner ceiling mirrors. The proposal cost is $823,500, with a match of $323,500 and svpp grant amount of $500,000. Country club hills police is our primary partner. We collaborate to ensure our EOP is updated in compliance with state regulations. IT is important for US to affirm a strong relationship with our partners. Police and fire also participate in our safety drills, providing any needed feedback/recommendations. Our crisis response plan is developed by our threat assessment team and our security company, as district wide plans for all. This team updates the plans annually, evaluating its weak point to make the plans stronger. We use our local police department to go over our plans and provide any recommendations. Collaboration led to a consensus on the importance of automated building communications integrated with immediate law enforcement notifications. Communication failures during violent incidents or crises were identified as a significant factor hindering effective response. Extensive research was conducted, involving local vendors and technology systems, as well as studying past school shootings where technology failed to enhance safety and response efficiency. This project will significantly resolve the gaps and increase the safety of our students and staff by providing increased entrance protection, monitoring of security and broadcasting of emergency situations to respond more quickly and efficiently. This project will increase the efficiency for our administrators to maintain the safety of the buildings. Increased audio and visuals will help decrease the amount of time needed to investigate issues, which will allow staff to engage their learners more effectively.